A goal needs to be SPECIFIC. Saying, “I want to write a novel” is much different from saying, “I will write 1000 words a day for 60 days and have a 60,000 word novel done in two months.”

A goal needs to be measureable. Saying, “I want to write blog posts more regularly” is intangible. Consider phrasing it as thus: “I will write and post three blog posts a week.”

A goal needs to be attainable. Saying, “I will write a novel a week for 52 weeks” would be unattainable for most. Committing to writing 500 words a day may be more feasible. This number could be lower or higher, depending on your schedule.

A goal needs to be relevant. Saying, “I will write X” when your topic is Y will not get you nearer to your goal.

A goal needs to be time-bound. Saying, “I will write a novel” without detailing an endpoint will not motivate you to get something done. Saying instead, “I will write a novel and finish it wihtin three months” is a much more concrete and useful method.

Follow these easy steps and you’ll be well on your way to developing goals!

Great post and I hope you don’t mind, I’m going to send a link to my local rwa gals. I think they’d love this. We set our goals in the last meeting, and I’ve already forgotten them. If they’re not posted above my computer, I don’t even think about them again!!!

You may want to check out http://www.GoalsOnTrack.com, a very nicely built web app designed for tracking goals and todo lists, and supports time tracking too. It’s clear, focused, easy to navigate, worth a try.

I was trying to find a time tracking device that I could integrate with patient care and charting. Something like an app that I could put on the computer which might have the following right click markers that could be integrated with the computer clock:
1) Beginning to look at patient record.
2) Calling patient
3) Patient leaves the office
4) Finishing note

Author Laura Diamond

About Me

Laura Diamond is a board certified psychiatrist currently specializing in emergency psychiatry. She is also an author of all things young adult—both contemporary and paranormal. An avid fan of sci-fi, fantasy, and anything magical, she thrives on quirk, her lucid dreams, and coffee. When she’s not working or writing, she can be found sniffing books and drinking a latte at the bookstore or at home pondering renovations on her 225 year old fixer upper, all while obeying her feline overlords, of course.

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